Apparatus for treating seeds with chemical dust and bagging the seeds



Patented Nov. 2, 1948 APPARATUS Fon TREATING scans wrrn CHEMICAL Dus'r AND 4BAGGINGI 'rnc v4SEEDS Harold .lesse-Kemp, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, vCanada App'li'cationAprilZl, 1944, Serial No. 532,188 l'In Canada June 7, 1943 (Cl. ,22d-58) 2 Claims.

'This invention relates to apparatus for treating fseeds with chemical `dusts and bagging the seeds.

`In the treatment of seeds with fine chemical dusts for disinfecting and for 'fertilizing purposes, the desirableun'iform and intimate-commingling of thedustand seeds has heretofore'been diflicult tio-accomplish. Violent agitation must be avoided asmuch as possible toguard against injury to the seeds. Moreover, since the dusts employed are frequently poisonous, Vdust'laden air arising from the mixing operation c-onstitutes a hazard to attendants. The subsequent bagging or handling of the dust-treated seeds also givesrise to dustladen air which adds to the hazard.

t is an object of the present invention to provide means, (l) for efliciently and uniformly covering `measured Aquantities `of' seed with desired amounts of `dust by non-injurious agitation of the seed and dust, (2) for controlling the dust-laden air `rising "from such agitation in such manner that the mixing operation is promoted and the free vescape .of such airis prevented, (3) for associating a'bagging operation with the agitating'operation, and '(4) for controlling the now of dustladen air arising from such bagging operation.

Qther objects, advantages vand details of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof .proceeds with particular reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a sectional side'elevation of an apparatus for carrying out the invention, and

Figure '2 is an end elevation of the apparatus, certainparts being removed, sectioned orbroken away for clarity of illustration.

In the drawing, I is a cabinet or housing for the apparatus having a door 2 at one end and an open recess 3 at the other end for the bagging mechanism 4. A hopper 5 projects through the top of the cabinet and is adapted to receive a measured quantity of seed 6 to be treated. The hopper outlet communicates with any suitable dust-distributing mechanism l, including a dispenser 8 for scattering dust 9 on the flowing seed. A stream of dust and seed flows by gravity from the -outlet I of the dust distributor onto a mixing o' commingling device II, which constitutes an important feature of the present invention.

The device I I comprises a slowly revolving bai'- fle wheel I2 having an axial cylindrical baille I4 and a plurality of radial vanes or baiiles I3, the inner ends of which are spaced from the baille I4 to provide a space l therebetween. A preferable speed of rotation of the wheel I2 1s 40 revolutions Z per minute. The varies I3 have short right angular flanges It at either end.

It willbe'observed that, as the main stream of dustand seed falls upon the baille wheel, it is divided into several streams falling between the upwardly moving varies It. Portions of such streams are carried around by the revolving vanes and the remaining portions continue through the space between the vanes, into the space I5 and onto the cylindrical baile lll, from whence they fiow between the lower revolving vanes. The anges :I5 on the vaines, as well as the central baile fI-Ll, constitute dust-collecting and dispersing surfaces, and prevent the settling of quantities of undispersed dust. Moreover, in operation athinlayer of dust clings to all surfaces ci the baiiiesfand varies to promote further the coating oit each seed with dust.

The slow speed of rotation of the baille wheel does not injure the seed but is suiiicient to cause a dispersion of dust into the surrounding air. Settling oi dust from the air thus takes place onto the streams of seed moving therethrough.

.Seli-contained means for delivering the treated seeds to the bagging mechanism comprise an incined elevator leg Il, the lower portion of lwhich extends into the accumulated mixture discharged from the baffle wheel I2 and the upper portion of which discharges through opening I8 into a delivery chute I8 of thebagging'mechanism. Preferably, the chute is provided with two outlets l through each of which the treatedmixture is alternately discharged, a manually controlled flap valve t8 being provided to direct the mixture through one o1' other of the outlets. Thus, while a lled bag is being removed from one outlet and an empty bag placed in filling relation thereto, the discharge of mixture may continue through the other outlet into another bag. The elevator consists of an endless chain 2G with flight wings 2l thereon. The wings 2l are preferably provided with ilexible tips 22 of rubber or other suitable material to reduce noise and avoid injury to the seed. It will be observed that, since the elevator leg communicates with the space surrounding the baille wheel I2, the dust-laden air gains access to the seed being elevated and dust from the air may therefore settle thereon.

The bagging mechanism is of usual construction, a bag 2S being shown in dotted lines in conjunction therewith. It will be observed that the floor of the bagging recess is formed by a grating il!! and that the partition 25 which separates the is provided with louvres or openings 26.

Means for preventing undesirable escape of dust-laden air from the cabinet and for collecting and controlling the dust-laden air arising from the bagging operation comprises a pair of fans 21 mounted in housings 28 communicating with exhaust pipes 29 and having inlets 30 adjacent the bottom portion of the cabinet. Since the fans create a suction within the cabinet, escape of dustladen air therefrom is avoided. Since outside air in the vicinity of the bagging space is drawn into the cabinet through the grating 24 and louvres 26, no dust or fume laden air rises from this area to aiect attendants. The movement of air is indicated by the arrows in the drawing.

A simple and eflicient driving means for the various parts is illustrated. The fans are mounted on a single shaft 3l driven by a pulley 32. The conveyor chain 26 is mounted on an upper sprocket 33 carried by a shaft 34 and a lower sprocket 35 carried by a shaft 36. The upper shaft 34 is driven from the fan shaft 3l by means of the driving pulleys 31 and 38 and belt 39. The baille wheel l 2 is mounted on a shaft 40 driven from the lower conveyor shaft 36 by means of pulleys 4| and 42 and belt 43.

An easily accessible inclined clean-out door 44 is provided adjacent the lower end of the ccnveyoi. A clean-out pan 45 is provided beneath the grating 24 of the bagging space.

The invention described provides a most eilicient and satisfactory method and means for thoroughly and adequately coating seeds with dust, without danger of injury to the seeds under treatment and with avoidance of discomfort and possible harm to attendant operators.

It will be obvious that many changes in details and arrangements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In apparatus for treating and bagging seeds including a cabinet, means in one portion of the cabinet for mixing seed and dust, and means in a second portion of the cabinet for depositing the mixed seed and dust in a bag in said second portion, means for conveying mixed seed and dust from the first portion to the second portion, a partition dividing said portions of the cabinet, said second portion being open to permit insertion and removal of bags, means providing an exhaust passage leading from said rst portion of the cabinet, said partition having openings there- `in providing a plurality of air passages leading from the space surrounding the bag in the second portion to the exhaust passage in the rst portion of the cabinet, and suction means in the exhaust passage for creating a plurality of air streams flowing through said air passages to co1- lect in said streams the dust-laden air surrounding the bag in said second 4portion of the cabinet.

2. In apparatus for treating and bagging seeds including a cabinet having an open end and a door closing the other end thereof, means in one portion of the cabinet adjacent the closed end for mixing seed and dust, means in a second portion of the cabinet adjacent the open end for delivering the mixed seed and dust to a bag in the second portion, and means for conveying mixed seed and dust from the 'lrst portion to the second portion: a partition and a bag supporting wall separating the second portion from the first portion. said bag supporting wall extending at right angles to the partition, an exhaust conduit leading from the rst portion and having an inlet therein, said partition and Wall eachhaving a plurality of openings therein to provide air passages leading from the space surrounding the bag in the second portion to said exhaust conduit inlet in the first portion, and ian means in the exhaust conduit inlet for creating a plurality of air streams flowing from said space in the second portion through said passages into the exhaust conduit to collect in said streams the dust-laden air surrounding the bag in said second porti-on.

HAROLD JESSE KEMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number FOREIGN PATENTS Country Darte Canada 1927 Number 

